Portal To A Forgotten Time
by skyressshun
Summary: Unappreciated by friends and family Shun leaves to train in the woods, what happens when a crack in the dimension sucks him in?
1. Chapter 1

"Shun, Shun hurry up will you?" A snappy voice shouted through to the young boy in the kitchen fixing his grandfather's breakfast. The old man was having what he would call a lazy day though to the fifteen year old it seemed every day was a lazy day.

True the old man's age was a factor in his sleeping habits but the old man would come down on him like a ton of bricks if he slept in for even ten minutes.

"I'm coming grandfather, I can't rush this, food doesn't care about your times" he snapped back about ready to throw the plate of food out the open kitchen window.

"I don't want to hear excuses Shun just bring me my breakfast" rolling his eyes he started for the master bedroom muttering to himself.

"Breakfast more like dinner"

Pushing open the door for the bedroom he saw the old man sitting against the headboard, sheets wrapped tightly around himself as he stared at his grandson.

"Finally Shun, honestly it's not that hard to bring an elderly man some food" he chastised as he held his hands out to take the plate from the boy. Sighing the boy handed his grandfather the food before leaving the man in peace to eat.

Looking at the clock on the wall he saw it was almost twelve, he was going to be meeting up with his friends soon.

Instead of going back to the kitchen to clean up the mess he had made while fixing the large breakfast he went to his bedroom.

Opening the door a barrage of green assaulted his eyes. He should probably vary the colours he used. Looking around the room he tried to find his jacket, it was a cold day, snow had been falling not too long ago and he certainly wasn't going to freeze.

Spotting the dark green jacket on the chair by the desk in his room he swung it over his shoulders slipping his arms into the thick sleeves.

Walking from the room he yelled through to the man who was stuffing his face.

"I'm going out I'll be back in a few hours" a grunted answer was all he received and with a shake of his head he left the room.

oooo

He rubbed his hands together as the wind picked up again, the day was barely half over and already the sky was blackening, hopefully they weren't holding too much snow.

Looking up from the snow covered ground he spotted his friends all in a group talking and laughing with the others, quickening his pace slightly he stopped just short of the group of four. Smiling at his friends he gave them a small greeting, only gaining a few glances.

Not caring that he didn't receive an audible response he looked over his friends before deciding to try to start a conversation.

"Grandfather was a nightmare this morning." He told his friends, but no one seemed to hear him. He tried again louder this time, but still he was ignored.

Tapping a brunette's shoulder he was taken aback by the sharp response from the boy who was supposed to be his best friend.

"What is it Shun? I'm trying to talk; seriously you never talk now you seem to not want to shut up!" Staring at his friend with a mixture of shock and anger, he wasn't sure what he should respond with. He chose the one that seemed most reasonable; anger.

Glaring at the boy he was about to take a step closer to the boy but stopped himself in time, instead he shook his head walking from the group.

The only one who noticed his absence being the brunette.

oooo

After leaving the group the raven haired youth had wandered the streets for a little while, trying to whittle away at the time before he was going to go back home.

Today wasn't the best day for him.

He hadn't been watching where he was going as he had been fixated with watching the snow crunch below his feet, and listening to the harmonic melody the wind made as it blew through the falling leaves.

Finally he looked up to see just how far he was from home. What shocked him was that he wasn't at home he wasn't even near. He had passed his house a long time ago from the looks of it. He was at the border of the forest which was located at the top of a long expansion of hills. His house was at the base of the hills.

Looking from the forest to where his house was, he kept moving his head from one way to another.

"Not like he'll care I'm late back, I did say I was going out for a few hours." A small smile graced his face as he took his first steps into the forest.

oooo

Heading into the forest a good distance he crouched down, getting ready to jump onto a tree branch. Springing from the floor he landed on the snow covered branch being careful not to lose his balance.

Even the hardest day, on the ones when he felt the least appreciated training always made him feel better.

Jumping from one branch to another the smile that he had held a while ago widened. This still helped him on the long days.

As he jumped from another branch a crack in the air opened up in front of him; his amber eyes widened at the sudden portal hovering in the thin air. He tried to grab a branch closer to him to stop his plummet into the crack in the dimension but it was useless he could find any grip on the branches that he could hold and the ones that did offer some to him snapped in his hands.

"Ahh!" Letting out a scream he crossed his arms holding them out in front of his face. He didn't know where he was going or if he was ever going to come back, but he did know that no one would even know he was gone.

**I know that they are a little OOC but it's important to the story. Please read review**


	2. Chapter 2

The ground was dry, dryer than ash. The trees were bare, long dead, withering away under the intense heat of the relentless sun. The ground was a wasteland, no birds flying in the sky or small animals running around the debris. Not so much as a few bugs running across the dust. Nothing.

But one single teenage boy, laying amongst the ash eyes closed, he looked peaceful. His arms were spread out on either side, the jacket he was wearing ripped along the sleeves leaving his pale arms vulnerable to the midday sun. He looked to be dead but the subtle rise and fall of his chest told otherwise, he was alive, weak but alive.

oooo

A mile from the unconscious boy was a small village; the village had patches of luscious green grass surrounding the village border, looking almost like a protective barrier.

The buildings inside the grass boundary were made of mud and coated with the debris from the wasteland. People in homemade clothes passed from one door-less home to the next, long gowns covered them reaching down to their mid-shins. Many of them were carrying objects in homemade baskets looking to be woven from straws and hair.

A small circular mound of mud was in the centre of the small mud huts. It looked hollow and people could be seen gathered around the circle. What looked to be clay pots were taken from the hole and were brought to the people's lips. The hole was a simple well.

One of the many people was an old woman, her hair down to her waist and streaked with grey. She looked no more than fifty but was clearly decades older than the other citizens who looked to be in their teens or early twenties. The elder had fine wrinkles on her face around her mouth and eyes, and her skin told of the many hours she had spent under the harsh sun.

Running her hands through her hair she looked down at the people who were scooping the water out of the well. The water inside the well was running low and from the look of the sky there wouldn't be any rain any time soon.

"Everyone! Everyone!" She called out to the village all eyes turning to her immediately, taking a deep breath to allow her to project her voice "the water is running low, there won't be any natural rain for a while it seems. I shall leave the village to call the rain gods and plead for some rain, till I return please drink sparsely."

The village gave her an acknowledging cheer as she turned to leave the village, to face the harsh conditions.

oooo

The sun was harsher than it had been for a long time, and every second she spent away from the village the more time the unrelenting conditions had to chip away at the small amount of water filling the base of the well.

Raising a wrinkled hand she wiped away the sweat forming on her forehead. It didn't seem very logical to place the settlement so far from the sacred ground where she could call the gods.

Looking across the flat land to see how far from the land she was, she squinted against the heat waves, a look of confusion crossing her face. Was that a raise in the land? This was supposed to be flat?

Her curiosity grabbed she started towards the raise in ground level. The well could wait for a little while; the gods weren't going anywhere anytime soon.

oooo

The young boy laying on the ashen ground was still, his face was slightly tanned from the intense heat. He hadn't stirred once and his breathes were beginning to space out more than before.

A shadow was cast over his placid face, greying hair falling just short of his tanning skin.

"Strange I did not know of another settlement around these parts" she mused to herself crouching down beside the boy, "especially one wearing such strange garments" brushing a strand of raven black hair from before his face she looked at his fair face. He wasn't young, but he wasn't old too, he seemed to be fifteen though he looked a lot better than most of the fifteen year olds in the village.

Looking over his face she saw only subtle signs of life, the boy was weak she needed to get him back to the village, if not he would die. This wasn't going to be very dignified.

Cupping her hands under his arms she lifted him from the ash ground dragging him in the direction of the village. The village would be a little bitter, but they could be dealt with, a little thirst was nothing when compared to a youth's life.

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	3. Chapter 3

At long last the village houses were coming into view, the village people gathered around the entrance, having spotted the elder coming back dragging a limp object in her hands. Looking over them, as she stopped to wipe the sweat from her face, she shook her head indicating no rain just yet. She did however motion some over to help her with the child.

Two young men ran over to her looking down at the boy perplexed. Glancing at him then the elder they asked the obvious question

"Uh who on Earth is this boy and what is he wearing?"

"I am not sure who he is but, I found him unconscious in the beasts land and I couldn't leave him there, if the heat did not finish him off then that creature would." The two boys nodded and before they could question the elder on anything else she answered them and their unasked words. "I shall go and request the rain again, till then make sure this boy does not die, I wish to discover who he is and how he managed to make it so far out into that land"

Nodding at the village elder they took the boy from her and carried him with much more ease than she had to the village entrance.

He didn't stir in their hold, sleeping on, though his breathes were beginning to grow shallower.

"This guy must be a freak no one makes it in there for more than a few miles; the elder is the only exception." One of the boys started, his hair a mousy blond, which fell over his eyes shielding them from the sun.

"Yea definitely I can't make it more than a few feet from the village line of sight." The other responded his hair a shaggy brown and eyes an icy blue.

"Think this is good?" The first asked looking down at a handmade bed of straw, the bare dirt visible in sections.

"Looks like it" lowering him slowly to the dirt they stared at his face for a moment, "should we get some water for him?" Shifting his gaze from the boy on the floor to the one stood beside him, he raised a brow pressing him for an answer. The one with mousy hair sighed before answering the other.

"We might as well, how much liquid is left?" They both knew that there wasn't much left and that it was supposed to be stretched out for the village until there was rain.

"Not much, but I guess we should spare a little for him, the elder seems to be interested in him" nodding at his friend they left him in the mud house going to the well.

The water left was miniscule and it looked like there wasn't enough for a proper drink.

"This will have to do. Hope that kid isn't the ungrateful kind. Gods know we've had more than our fair share of those around here" the shaggy haired boy mentioned as he carried a handmade cup full of the water back towards the mud house.

"That's true, what shall you do if he is?" His friend asked wanting a little insight to how his friends mind worked

"I'll force the water down his throat along with the cup" he responded smirking slightly at the mental image. His friend merely shook his head at the other before letting out a small laugh; he sure knew how to choose weird people to be his friends.

As they entered the house they saw the boy hadn't stirred, it was almost as though he was dead, or maybe just teetering on the edge of both sides. Crouching down beside the boy the one with the drink stared at his expressionless face.

"Guess we just wait" placing the cup down he dropped backwards to sit at his friends feet. "You have a problem with that Ber?" Dropping beside his friend Ber gave him a smirk.

"Of course not"

oooo

Pain ran through his head pulsing with the beat of his heart, his eyes felt as though weights were attached to them, fog clouded his mind. He felt as though he was on the border of consciousness and unawareness. Despite every fibre in him demanding to stay unaware he forced his eyes open, the world returning though it was like he was staring through water.

The world was brown, constantly shifting in his vision. He was beginning to think he was staring at a tree trunk when two blurred and warped objects came into view. He could barely make out eyes and a mouth. The mouth was moving but nothing came to him. Squinting to try to focus in on the moving mouth he could barely make out an 'are you ok?'

Opening his mouth he tried to speak but the words didn't form on his tongue. Swallowing he tried again.

"W-where a-am I?" His voice was raspy and strained, breaking as he tried to get the words out.

"You're at the village my friend, no other word for it. So what's your name? I'm Ber" his eyebrows knitted together at the strange name, he had never heard it before, blinking a few times to clear his still very blurred vision he tried to remember his name so he could answer. His mind was still very foggy.

"Uh S-Shun" he managed to get out, his throat raw and hurting as the words came out.

"Shun? Weird name, so how'd you get out there? Most people die within a few minutes but from what we can tell you've been out there for a long time" his vision started to clear and he could just about make out their faces.

"W-what d-do you mean? I was just in the woods. Everyone goes out there, I-I just slipped I think?" He tried to push himself up but his arms shook from his weight making it almost impossible for him to support his body.

"Easy lad, just take it easy will you, you've been out on the land for quite some time, you're probably real thirsty." The man he now knew was called Ber placed his hand on his back keeping him from dropping back onto the bare floor.

"Yea I am" he answered rubbing his throat to try to alleviate the pain. He rubbed his eyes with a shaky hand the blurriness that was his vision was beginning to wear.

"What do you mean woods? There ain't no such thing around here, maybe in a few hundred miles but not here" the man whose name he didn't know spoke and the fog that was still clouding his mind lifted at that and his eyes snapped open, the murkiness that was once there gone revealing a small house made of mud with nothing but a few scraped drawings on them and straw covering the dirt ground.

"W-where am I?" He asked ignoring the sting in his throat.

"Easy lad, here have this, it'll make you feel better you've probably got a demon in your head" the same man asked as he lifted the homemade cup placing it against the black haired boy's chapped lips.

Despite the worry that was in him from not knowing what was happening he accepted the drink, drinking it like he had been starved of any liquid for years, it felt like he had been.

"Where am I?" He asked again the pain all but gone as the last of the water left the cup, he handed the man the now empty cup. "Thank you"

"No problem and I already told you you're in the village" placing a hand on the shaggy haired boy's shoulder he was pulled back to a sitting position, he had been on his knees.

"He means how'd he get here right?" Ber asked as he watched the boy nod slowly, he seemed to be thinking something what he wasn't sure.

"Yea how'd I get here, last thing I can remember is being in the woods training" he tried to give them some form of picture as to what he had been doing. They must have found him after an accident he wasn't sure though. He couldn't remember anything after leaving his group of friends and first arriving in the woods. He presumed that he was training, that was what he usually did.

"Training? What do you mean training? Were you practicing hunting?" Ber asked again, he didn't look like a hunter but looks could be deceiving, besides his clothes looked like they were designed to keep him hidden, though whoever made them was strange they had never seen any clothing like that before.

"Why would I be doing that, I could just go to the shops." He answered thoroughly confused

"Shops?" They both asked as they tilted their head in confusion, was he insane?

"Yea the shops, you don't have the shops around here?" He was more confused than ever and decided to deal with this he would look outside, see if this was just a prank courtesy of his friends.

Pushing himself up he was slightly unstable but forced his legs to move towards the door to the mud house, leaving the two behind him confused as to what was wrong with him. He stumbled slightly as he approached the door-less door. Looking through the hole what he saw shocked him.

"If this is a prank it's pretty elaborate"

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	4. Chapter 4

The ground was ashen apart from the small bit of green around the village, people were walking around in what can only be called robes, and no one seemed in the slightest bit bothered that there was someone staring at them.

"You alright? You look as though you've seen a spirit." The man whose name he did not know asked him as he leaned forwards trying to see what had scared the strange and bemused boy.

"Where the hell am I?" He asked speaking slowly just to make sure they heard properly

"You know we've told you a million times, the village."

"How did I get here, I was in the woods now I'm in some village that looks like it's placed in the Sahara desert." People stopped to look at him, they had seen him when he was brought through and then they had thought him strange. This just confirmed it, Sahara desert? No one had heard of that.

"Uh Shun, what on this earth is the Sa-ha-ra desert?" Ber asked him as he stood beside him in the door-less door.

"You don' know what that is?" He took a deep breath to calm himself before he got mad, "Dan if this is a joke I'm going to kill you"

"Who's Dan?" They both asked him, they had never heard such a weird name.

Looking at the men he thought must be mental he decided to ask a question that must have been stupid but would give him some peace of mind to assure him that he wasn't absolutely crazy.

"What year is it?"

"Four hundred" stopping himself from shouting in surprise he asked another question.

"BC or AD?"

"What's that?" They asked him in unison.

"I'll take that as BC." Running his hands through his black hair he finally let himself show a little shock. "What the hell?! How the hell did I go back like two thousand years?! I don't even know how far I went back! This is stupid, I've gone mental! I must be in hospital, in a coma or something. This can't be right!"

The entire village was staring at him, eyes wide in shock. Had the boy been bitten by something? This wasn't something a sane person would be doing; he thought he came from the future.

A hand was placed on his shoulders, turning him to face the two boys.

"Shun? Are you ok, you look like you're going to be sick and I think you may have been out in the land too long, you might had gone slightly insane" as he was about to answer a woman's voice reached him, silencing the village who had been muttering to themselves as the boy's back was turned.

"Ber, Levi hush. Shun was it?" The voice asked as he turned to see who was talking. He saw a woman who didn't look too old, maybe mid-fifties. He stared at her a little stupidly for a moment. She was the oldest in the crowd of people.

"Yes, yes my name's Shun" he answered careful to not stutter.

"Well I'm glad to see you're awake, you had me worried when I saw you unconscious on the floor in the land where none bar me have ever been in and come out alive. Would you come with me please, I wish to make sure you're ok that you haven't sustained any permanent damage from your time out there." She turned to walk towards the largest mud house that was in the village, not looking over her shoulder to see if he was awake.

"But ma'am with all due respect, the boy is insane. He believes he's from the future" the boy he now knew was called Levi interjected.

"Yes I know, I did hear, and it is possible" her voice was smooth and though the three couldn't see her face she was smirking slightly, shocking the crowd all the more, if the elder thought that it must be true.

"M-m-m-ma'am" Levi finally managed to get out staring at the boy who was looking slightly more relaxed now, knowing he wasn't crazy, he stepped back slightly in shock. He was from a time that had not yet passed?

"Come Shun, we have much to talk about" with no other words to say and not having any other choice he followed the woman towards her home.

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	5. Chapter 5

He was sat on his knees in her house, kneeling on the straw covered floor looking around at the animal pelts hung on the wall, he had only seen those in museums before and they still looked horrible as far as he was concerned. Now though there was a rack in the corner with fresh pelts hung on them, blood dripping from the peeled skin and fur. He turned from the rack covering a blood pool and adding to it at the same time.

He looked up at the woman standing over him not sure what to say.

"Well Shun, let's start shall we?" She asked looking over him for anything from the future. She may have been the wisest woman in the village but she was still curious. The future was unknown, even to her. Shifting a little under her gaze he started to talk.

"Alright, what do you want to know?" He asked a simple question to start with guessing that the woman was curious to know about his time.

"I don't wish to know anything about the time you come from Shun" the answer surprised him and it seemed she noticed this "I know this may sound strange, after all why wouldn't I want to know about a time not past yet, but I believe that by asking you will change my own behaviour and end up having dire consequences"

He nodded in understanding, before asking another question, "then what do you want to speak to me about?" If she didn't want to know about the future then what did she want to know?

"I assume that you want to go back to your home right?" She asked him though it sounded more like a statement.

"Of course I do"

"Then I'll make you an offer. Do this for me and I will send you back to your time. I am not only the oldest in this village but I am also the high priestess of this village, I call the rain and the sun, I ask for the years to keep passing by. I keep the world working." As she spoke he started to understand just how superstitious people were in world he was now in. "I want to set you a test Shun. I know you're strong you've survived in the harshest of environments for lord knows how long, I want to test just how strong you truly are and I can't give you something for free can I"

"So what do you want me to do?" He asked feeling a little confused. Test? Why would he have to go through a test and what would happen if he failed?

"I found you on my way to the sacred ground to call for some rain, no one knows what is beyond that land, you are going to find out, I had heard tales from my parents that a gorgeous land is beyond the sacred ground and that it is filled with what they called flowers. No one in the village has ever seen nor heard of these. You are to bring us one as proof of you making it to there. If you can do this I'll send you back home"

"Why do you want me to do that?"

"I want you to do this test to prove your worthiness to be sent back home by use of me and so my people and I can see if this was just a rumour said by my parents to give us thought of another land beyond ours." She explained as she looked him over, seeming to be looking for hesitation.

"I could just tell you" was his response, slight confusion in his voice.

"Yes but that wouldn't be nearly as impressive" the smirk on her face made him smile slightly, she was a strange one. But still they all were around here.

"Alright, I guess I can do that, what type of flower do you want?"

"What do you mean?" She had never heard of types.

"Do you want a lily or want a rose? They're quite common back home" he explained telling her the first ones that came to mind.

"They do exist?" She asked shocked gasping slightly leaning forwards in amazement, a moment later she regained her composure. "I don't believe you, prove it first Shun"

"Alright, can I take anything with me?" He asked suspicious as to what would be allowed.

"You can take as much water as you want, no food, you'll have to find your own everything else you'll have to acquire on the way" with the vague list of items allowed and only a minor knowledge of what to expect out in this land, when he didn't know where it was located in his time, not to mention the lack of him knowing anything specific about the past. He stood.

"Alright, let's get my things together, I can set off now." A small smile graced her aged face as she took him by the arm. Leading him from the house and towards the well, forgetting the lack of water.

oooo

The well was all but empty and he had nothing to carry it in.

"Do you have any bottles?" He asked, though a small inkling in the back of his head told him that they wouldn't know what one of those was.

"What's that?" Ber asked as he stood around the well, having gotten over the initial shock on a being from another time stood by his side.

"It's something that holds water"

"That's a cup" Ber corrected.

"No, cup holds it for then, a bottle holds it for later, preventing you from spilling any" Shun then added trying to explain it as simply as he could.

"Oh, so it's a weird looking cup?" He asked confused, what was so hard about a cup? "So, no we have none of that"

"Fine, I'll take a cup then, Christ I never thought it would be so weird in the past." He muttered to himself looking around for the woman who had left just moments before.

"Hey Bur what's going on?" The man he knew as Levi asked coming over, he had seen Shun leave with the village elder and was unsure on whether or not to trust the time traveller. He looked him over and asked his life-long friend. "What's he doing?"

"Leaving the village on a mission, of sorts. He's going to be traveling across the land beyond the village to find something that the elders parents spoke of." The mention of leaving the village peeked the teen's curiosity and he looked over the black haired boy with interest and a little more admiration than before.

"Really? I have to say that's impressive, you think you can handle it Shun?" He asked staring at the boy who was watching another member of the village, a young girl, scoop up the sparse drops of water left.

He smiled down at her when she raised her head to meet his gaze, she offered him a small shy smile before going back to the job at hand. She seemed a little awkward but Shun was unsure of why.

"I'm sure I can, I just want to go home" he answered unthinking, he was staring slightly amazed by the amount of water she was able to extract, to him the well looked dry but she was getting out so much water.

"Really, why? What's at home that isn't here?" One of the two boys asked though he couldn't tell who.

"My friends, my family" he mumbled as a response.

"What are they like?" He had turned when they had spoken and could see it was Ber.

"My friends are...they're a little strange. They vary a lot, they can be so nice but then they ignore you" he answered hesitating slightly, thinking through the last time he'd seen them. And his grandfather. "My grandfather, well, he's different, he has a lot of lazy days. I don't really like them, I have to do everything. I would like to have a break every now and then"

"Why would you want to go back to them if they're like that?" Levi asked and Shun had no answer for him.

"I-I don't really know I mean I want to go back home but...they, they aren't always like that. They can be good" he tried to defend them but it was difficult, the way they had acted before he left made him not want to return home. He sighed as he looked them over. "They're my friends and family, I have to go back home"

"Ok then if you say so. I wish you good luck on your trip Shun, try not to die" Levi smiled at the black haired boy and held his hand out to him. Turning to the boy he took his hand giving it one shake.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." He joked as he took the offered cup from the young girl. She quickly ran from the three older boys, still not looking Shun in the eye. He looked into the primitive cup and saw that it was full. It was no wonder they were able to live out here if they were capable to extract that amount of water.

"Shun, are you going?" The elder came over from wherever she had disappeared to.

"Yes I'm going in a minute." He answered as he stared at the elderly woman.

"Alright, I wish you good luck, may the gods be merciful" she patted his shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze. "I'm sure you'll find the land and make it back to us. Once you have I shall honour my promise and send you back home"

"Thank you, I'll be leaving then" she nodded her head before turning to leave the boy and the other two boys to finish talking.

"Don't die, I do want to know what is beyond the horizon. But saying that I do wish you good luck"

"Thank you, I'll be off then" without another word he nodded to the two boys before taking a breath and stepping out of the village. The heat of the land seemed ten times hotter as he stepped out onto the ashen ground, the glare of the sun burned his eyes and it amazed him that the elder could travel out of the village like this. He didn't turn back though, he couldn't just give up if he wanted to return home.

"See you Shun" Ber shouted out, turning around to wave to the boy he stopped himself, he was too close to wave, instead nodding.

"Bye"

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	6. Chapter 6

He had been walking for fifteen minutes and could still see the village, it had receded into the horizon the people mere specks in the distance. They were still by the edge of the village, waiting for him to drop down dead? He didn't know. He felt fine, the heat was scorching but his eyes were the only thing bothering him. It was a wonder there weren't a group of blind people there. He felt his amber eyes burning under the sun's intense rays.

He wiped the forming sweat from his brow. Sighing in annoyance he glanced up from the ashen ground, he should have just gone home when he left his friends. Heat waves were evident across the land and he began to wish he had some different clothes, ones that covered skin but didn't hold in heat.

He couldn't help casting his eyes around the land, there had to be something out there. Something that differed from the ash and flat ground. He didn't care what, a rock a dead tree, anything just so he'd know he wasn't walking in circles. Something to give a change of scenery to the flat ground. The curvature of the earth was visible as he tried to find something.

He turned around once more to see that the village had just about vanished into a speck. He wondered vaguely if they thought he was dead or not, they probably did. He turned his burning eyes up to the sky, trying to see if there were even the smallest remnants of a cloud that could drift before the sun. Unfortunately for him there wasn't.

"I can't do things the easy way can I?" He asked himself wiping off the sweat. This had to be a desert in his time or at least something close. He could remember what Dan would always tell him when they were younger. He would say that no matter how simple something would be he always had to find the hard way to do it. And that was true at the age of five Dan had given him a test he was told to climb the stairs he did but he climbed the banister.

He knew now that he would have to learn to swallow his pride more, if he had simply gone back home after leaving his friends he wouldn't be where he was now, wandering around in a desert on some form of quest for an isolated village. The irritating fact though was that if he hadn't just left his friends he could have joined the conversation once they'd finished the ones they were having at the moment.

He shook his head in annoyance keeping his eyes trained on the ground, he would drive himself crazy if he kept his eyes up.

oooo

It must have been well over an hour and his throat was burning with dehydration. He needed a drink badly but he had to preserve what little water he had. He couldn't be wasteful who knew how long it would be before he had another drink. He had sipped at the cup half an hour ago to try to wet his throat. But the amount was so miniscule that it had felt as though he was drinking sand.

He raised his eyes from the floor in hopes of finding something, anything, his eyes strained as much as they could. There was nothing, nothing but a slight raise in the ground a good couple of miles away. His tired eyes widened at that. There was something. After so much flat ground there was something there.

A smile spread across his face, he was too happy to consider the possibility of a mirage or nothing but a pile of rocks. The cup of water was three quarters full, he took a huge gulp from the prehistoric cup. Effectively removing the dry sand taste from his throat. With the less amount of water in the cup he covered the top with the palm of his hand and started running towards the hopefully not mirage.

oooo

In a matter of minutes he had reached the bump in the ground, it was a tree, it had one leaf on its branches, it was alive and blowing in a breeze that was barely noticeable. It was blowing east and the leaf looked on the verge of breaking off, but it was the first sign of life he had seen and if this tree was alive that meant there had to be water around here somewhere. The smile that had been growing on his face vanished as he realised that those roots beneath could go down so far that he'd never find the source of the water.

Hitting the bark of the wood in frustration he dropped to the floor, leaning back against the tree. It may not give him water but it would give him shelter for a little while at least, it could protect him from the harsh light.

He closed his eyes and leaned into the tree, placing his hands behind his head he breathed a relaxed sigh. He would rest here just for a little while.

oooo

He must have fallen asleep just a few minutes after closing his eyes, the walking in the harsh conditions drained him of any energy. Soft breaths came from his mouth in an even pattern, he was only in a light sleep, easily awakened if needed.

A small cloud of dust raised by his side a shadow being cast on his face, he didn't wake from the change; more that he was grateful for a break in the light. Soft skin was pressed onto his shoulder and an eye cracked open at the contact. He couldn't see anything, the light from the sun coupled with the after effects of sleep silhouetting the figure staring at him.

"Hi, what are you doing all the way out here?"

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	7. Chapter 7

He stared confused by the voice; he thought no one could come out here.

"Who are you?" He asked squinting hoping he could clear the air around him and make the figure visible.

"No, you didn't answer my question. I'll answer yours when you answer mine." The voice answered and it was only then that he realised it was a girl's voice. He pushed himself up looking up into the girl's face. He tried to make out some of her features but the sun was too bright.

"Alright, I'm on my way to find something. This village offered me the chance to go home if I brought them a flower as proof that they exist. Now it's your turn"

"Alright, I'm Alice" she answered simply sitting back, finally allowing the black haired boy to see her face. She had bright orange hair that hung past her shoulders, reaching her mid back. Her eyes were a chocolate brown and her face had a soft smile gracing it.

"Hi, I'm Shun" he greeted pushing himself up into a seated position. He had fallen down once he had been trapped by sleep.

"Hi, Shun, can I ask you something?" She asked the smile on her face not faltering.

"Sure, I guess. There's nothing to say that you can't" he answered, rubbing at the sleep in his eyes

"Where do you live? I can see you don't come from my old village or the village you left. Where do you live?"

"I'm not from any of these villages, it's kind of hard to explain and I doubt you'd believe me, so I'm not going to tell you Alice. But if you like you could point me to the closest source of water, but it can't be back there. It would just look like I failed if I went back" she listened closely to his words trying to see if she could figure him out.

"Alright, I could do that, it'd give me more time to try to figure you out. I don't like not understanding people. You're a bit of an enigma. You know that?" She asked pushing herself up to her feet.

"Yea, I know, Dan used to say that a lot"

"Dan?" She asked, tilting her head softly to show her confusion.

"Never mind, it doesn't matter" he waved it away standing himself and dusting his clothes off.

"Now, how am I supposed to understand you if you do that? Come on Shun, tell me who this Dan is" she pestered placing her hands on her hips.

"Fine, Dan's my best friend from home, I've known him most of my life and he is the exact opposite of me." He answered running off the small fact as quickly as he could. He wasn't one for talking, even if it was with the first human he'd seen once leaving the village. "Anyway, I told you a little about me, tell me about you. Why are you out of your old village?" He asked her, wanting to make her talk to fill in the silence instead of him.

"Oh, that's easy, that village is just like all the rest. The girls are subservient to the boys. I don't like that, and I know you're probably just like all those boys who think girls are beneath them-" Shun cut her off there.

"I don't think like that, where I'm from it's all equal, no one is below anyone else."

"Really? Well, I'd like to meet the people from your village, they must be nice. No wonder you want to go back home." She mumbled to herself as she turned to stare down the barren land.

"Yea, is it not like that back here? I've heard that things were different back here but I didn't think girls were seen as subservient. Maybe that sounds stupid to you, and I always was the most logical one back home but I never thought it was truly like that. If Runo was here and a guy tried to make her feel below them they'd literally be below her. She punch them" he chuckled slightly to himself. Imagining one of those men from the village trying to order the hot headed bluenette and being punched into the ground.

For some reason the man from the village was always Dan in weird clothes. He guessed that was because Dan was always the one being punched by the short tempered girl. He knew how to push her buttons better than anyone. What amazed him though was that he hadn't figured out how not to push them.

"Shun?" He shook his head at the voice.

"Yea Alice?" He asked looking at the ginger girl.

"You just zoned out for a second. I had been trying to ask you about this Runo, she'd punch men?" She asked, just to make sure. It was strange for her to hear that it sounded so abnormal to the orange haired girl, she had grown up in a village that taught her a 'woman's role'.

"Of course she would, she's a little feisty." He laughed softly to himself, "it's a little strange sometimes though, she and Dan always fight but I swear he likes her. The two always throw the other a quick look. They've been like that for as long as I can remember, but I never knew a girl who'd punch the guy she liked so much."

"If they like each other why don't they get married, they are more than old enough." Alice asked and Shun had to bite his tongue before he asked something that would tell her he wasn't from this time. 'People got married back then?'

"Married? You don't know Dan and Runo, those two won't get married till they're like thirty." He answered instead, smirking at the image of Runo walking down the aisle in a white dress and Dan in a tux. He couldn't imagine that without Runo yelling at him for something, dropping the ring, messing up his vows. He would do something, it was already predetermined.

"Thirty?! That's stupid, their lives are almost over at that age."

"Maybe here" he admitted, he wasn't going to tell her in much detail. She could just think in his village people lived longer. "Where I'm from the average age to die is eighty." Her eyes widened so much at that.

"Really? Wow I'm going to live with you then. In my old village it was forty, and that's a good place. Obviously we have an elder at our village but he's about fifty or so. No one really knows he refuses to tell anyone his exact age. How old are you?" She asked him looking him over trying to judge it herself.

"Fifteen" he answered simply, pulling at his shirt he tried to get some of the ash that had worked its way under his shirt out.

"Really, I'm fifteen too." A smile came onto her face. "You don't know how glad I am to have met a boy my own age. I'm the only fifteen year old in my village. This is great, we can talk about so much now" he looked up at her.

"Alice, I'm not one for talking and I do have to get going, the sun is getting quite intense and I need to make it to the end of this desert like place." He answered the girl making her smile falter.

"But Shun I need someone to talk to...Oh I know" the sudden growth in her volume made the black haired boy jump, turning to the ginger girl he glared at her softly for catching him off guard. But the glare turned to one of confusion as she continued "I can come with you, we can talk then. I can show you where all the water is. Because quite honestly you look a little hopeless; and this way I can meet the people of your village and we can talk."

Shun stared at her not knowing what to say. Should he let her come? It wasn't like he had much of a choice, he could go on his own and almost certainly die. Or he could bring her too, someone who knew the place much better than he did, the only drawback being him having to tell her the truth some time. The choice was obvious wasn't it?

"Alright, lead the way Alice" a smile came to the orange haired girl as she took the black haired boy's hand.

"Alright, let's go. I can take you to the nearest source of water. That isn't the village you just came from. Come on Shun the sun will be dropping in the next few hours" the girl pulled him along making him think of his friends back home. He was sure they'd like her if she was from their time. She seemed a lot like some of his friends.

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	8. Chapter 8

It was no more than an hour later when they reached the closest source of water. Shun and the orange haired girl had drank the remaining water in the cup they had kept close to them but a few minutes before. She was smiling slightly to herself as they walked through the ashen ground, she seemed very confident that they would make it through the desert.

"Shun, what's it like in your village?" She asked after a moment of silence the two nearing the small pool of collected water. Deciding not to tell her anything from the future and to keep her thinking it was truly a village for as long as possible he answered.

"Bigger than all the others, I know that for sure, different from yours from what I've heard. From what I've heard it isn't a very equal place, my village is." He answered looking at her from the corner of his eye. A smile came to her face at hearing the small detail.

"I wish I lived there, it sounds so much nicer than my old village, where I used to live it was so suppressive." She answered as they reached the pool of water and leant down to fill their cup and drain the rest. They didn't talk as they did, both comfortable in the silence that enveloped them.

Shun smiled slightly, it was nice to feel as though you were seen. Back home they had ignored him, like he didn't matter. But Alice. She seemed interested in him and wanted to hear what he had to say. It was a nice change. He pushed himself back onto his knees and stared down at the small bit of water Alice was drinking up. He smiled softly to himself. She was different, that was for sure.

Standing he couldn't help but stretch, they had been walking for a while and his muscles were seizing up from the lack of movement. Alice sat back herself and stared up at him.

"So, are we going now? I got you some water too; do I get a thank you?" She asked staring at him with a tiny smile. He gave one back before relenting and answering with a,

"Thank you Alice." She smiled once more the tiny upturn of her lips growing.

"No problem, it's nice to have a bit of appreciation every now and again." Her words affected him more than either of them thought, Shun turned his eyes to the blazing sun and nodded at her.

"Yea, I know what you mean." He breathed out looking directly towards the sun, not even realising he had voiced his comment aloud.

"What are you talking about? How do you know what I mean? Surely your friends appreciate you." Shaking out of his momentary daze Shun answered her.

"No, not all the time; they're usually the best friends anyone could ask for but lately. Well they've changed slightly." He told her, taking his eyes from the sun when the bright light burnt them ever so slightly.

"What do you mean they've changed?" Alice asked him placing a hand on his arm.

"You know, how friends change. They think you're always going to be there so they don't pay you as much attention. Taking you for granted would be a better way to put it." He explained as he looked around the ashen ground. He didn't see where they had to go next but he wasn't familiar with the land and Alice was far more than he was.

"I understand Shun, now come on. Follow me and I'll take you somewhere for us to sleep for the night." She took his hand and started to lead him towards a secure place to rest. Not knowing what to say he just followed her keeping his mouth shut.

oooo

They walked till the sun had fully set and the heat that had once made them beg for a cool drink left them. Leaving the two shivering and huddled together.

"This is so much better than last night. Having someone to stay close to makes the world of a difference. Last night I thought I was going to freeze." Alice spoke up breaking the comfortable silence that had surrounded them.

"Yea, I can imagine, you know I'm pretty much sure this place is a desert" he answered her, not realising that word would make no sense to her.

"What's that?" She asked making him finally realise his little slip up.

"Oh, nothing really; just what we call places that are like this back in my village." He covered, trying not to sigh in relief at the nod of her head.

"I like it, sounds like it makes sense." She looked up at him and gave him a small smile. "How'd they come up with it?" She asked curious.

"I don't know; they had it long before I existed." He answered truthfully. He saw no point in lying to her, he'd never be able to come up with a story for why they had that word. Who knew how the word was created.

"Oh, that's a shame; I would have loved to find out about how your village does things. It sounds very interesting." She answered, glancing from his face and looking towards the distance. A smile graced her face as she finally managed to see what she had been looking for, for the past however long. Her grin didn't go unnoticed and Shun looked down at her.

"What?" He asked following her eyes. His weren't quite as sensitive as hers were. Too used to the street lights and the multiple different ones on a car, Shun's eyes had become somewhat inferior to someone from Alice's time.

"We're nearly there. Come on Shun" she didn't answer his question instead taking his hand and running towards what only she could see. He allowed himself to be dragged, not caring that she had ignored his question. He'd find out soon.

"Careful Alice" he told her trying to stop himself from stumbling over his own feet thanks to her awkward pulls. She gave him an apologetic smile, one he only just saw. He nodded at her and kept his eyes trained on her feet. He wasn't going to fall. Not when they were close to whatever Alice has seen.

Not a moment later did she release his hand and move a few feet in front of her.

"See Shun, we're here." He looked around where they were and barely noticed that he was ever so slightly higher up. Squinting in the darkness he couldn't see anything really. He turned his eyes up towards the sky, there were clouds blocking the jewels in the sky blocking any light that might have helped him see.

"I can't see anything Alice. My eyes aren't quite as good as yours." He told her reaching out before himself to see if he could feel anything. His fingers brushed against something hard. He withdrew his hand staring at what looked like pure black, something was there.

"Oh, really?" She asked clearly confused. "Why?"

"I don't really know, I think it's just because of where my village is set." He lied trying to not stumble over his words, it was quite hard, he didn't know what he was saying. He didn't even know if it made any sense.

"Oh, I understand. Like how age can be defined by where you live based on how much of this ash ground is."

"Uh, yeah, sure." He answered, silently thanking whatever God there might be for that lie. He had no idea how it made sense. He smiled ever so slightly so that she couldn't see it and kept trying to focus on what was in front of him.

"I can make a fire if it'll help you?" She suggested making Shun's smile grow.

"If you could then that'd be a huge help. I can't see a thing here." He reached forwards again grabbing at whatever was in front of him, his mind not telling him what he might be holding. Before a minute passed sparks came from nowhere and lit up the dark sky for a moment.

As soon as they came they vanished but the momentary light did allow him to see what was in his grasp. Thankfully it was a tree. He couldn't quite tell but it looked live. Sparks came once more, the sky brightened all the more as the sparks grew in number. The darkness not coming back thanks to her quick strikes on the two stones she had found. He did have to be mindful though, the sparks were flying in all directions and he was a bit too close to the orange haired girl.

Just a moment later the sparks stopped but the darkness didn't return. A small flicker of light was creeping into the bottom of his vision and a crackling was filling his ears. Tilting his head down towards the light he saw a small ember that was being fed small dead twigs. He smiled at the sight, the physiological effect the fire had filled his chilled body with warmth. Seating himself on the ground he could feel strands of something brushing against his legs and hands. Glancing at them he saw small blades of grass, live grass.

His smile grew as he glanced around wherever they were the fire growing with each passing second allowing more to be seen.

"Alright, that should be enough to keep it burning throughout the night. We should get some rest." Alice's quiet voice broke the comfortable silence drawing the onyx haired boy's attention. Nodding to the woman he settled himself under the tree, knowing it would offer him shade in the morning. The grass was serving as his mattress and the fire his blanket. Without a doubt tonight was the most basic night of his life, but for some reason it was also the most peaceful.

"Goodnight Alice."

"Night Shun" without another word both teens were taken into a deep sleep. Exhausted from the day before and knowing tomorrow would be just as tiresome.

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	9. Chapter 9

The intense rays of the sun managed to peak through the thin leaves of the tree hanging over his face. The beams hit him just above the thin skin of his eyelids. They irritated his eyes just enough to make him stir and twist from his position, disturbing his much wanted sleep. Cracking open a sleep clouded amber eye the black haired teen glanced around his mind still waking up from the grasp of sleep.

He couldn't work out where he was, all he could see was the bark of a tree.

"Why's there a tree in my room" he groaned to himself as he pushed himself to a seated position and rubbed at his eyes. Opening them he saw he wasn't in his room but out in the open, dragging his eyes across the land his mind finally caught up. "Oh God, yesterday really happened, I'm in the past."

Pushing himself to his feet, somewhat shakily, he glanced down looking for the orange haired girl. He caught sight of her on the opposite side of the tree curled up into a ball sleeping soundly. Walking over to her he paid the dead fire little heed and crouched beside the girl.

"Alice, wake up, we need to keep moving." He whispered softly to her, trying to make her stir. The light from the sun was shining in her eyes though it did nothing to her. Staring at the girl perplexed he shook his head. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about how strange she was compared to him. "Alice, wake up." He kept pestering as he pushed her shoulder softly.

She let out a moan of annoyance as she batted away at thin air with her hand.

"Alice" he tried again, as he shook her shoulder once more.

"What?" She moaned out her eyes still closed and her speech was drawled out.

"We need to go" he answered

"Why?" She asked opening an eye a fraction. As he opened his mouth to answer his stomach did for him. A low rumble sounded out in the barren land making the orange haired girl smirk. "Oh that's why" she answered as she pushed herself up on her arms and leaning against it, still on her side.

She shook her head slightly and mumbled something under her breath that sounded like 'no matter where they're from men will always think with their stomachs'. He would have protested but his stomach cut him off again. Sighing he rolled his eyes and pulled her up.

Releasing her hand she dusted herself off. Looking towards the sky she tried to determine the time by reading the sun.

"It's about ten in the morning. The day's just going to get hotter, if we don't get moving we'll be caught up in the mid-day heat. If we're out in it for too long we could die." She stared matter of fact, he just stared at her not knowing what to say. He squinted as he looked towards the sun wondering how she had managed to do that.

"Which way do we go?" He asked the girl as she now dusted her hands off.

"I suggest north. I came this way when I left my village. It should lead us back to there, after we reach my village we can stock up on food and water. Maybe we could even speak to my villages elder." She told him, though the last part was more of a muttering. Nodding to her he silently agreed.

"Ok, which way do we go?" He asked, he wasn't too sure which way was north.

"Just follow me Shun, I'll show you" she assured as she began to collect the few objects they both had. He had a cup and she had a ripped piece of cloth she had told him was used for filtering bad water.

The girl started to lead the teen back into the blazing heat of the sun. Shun pulled at the collar of his shirt and pulled it up slightly to cover the lower half of his face. His skin had been beginning to burn during the time he was asleep and he didn't want his skin to become damaged from the heat. Running a tired hand through his hair he tried to pull out the lugs. There were more than normal and he had a few blades of grass in his hair.

He looked at the grass with distaste looking over to the chocolate eyed girl who looked no different to last night.

"Why don't you have grass in your hair?" The boy asked her flicking the blades away.

"What do you mean? Oh, I guess you haven't slept rough before have you. I have for a while, after a couple of days you get used to sleeping in the open and you don't become anymore affected than when you're at home on your normal bed" staring at the girl sceptical he just shrugged nodding his head at her. Who was he to doubt her? It didn't seem as though sleeping in the open was affecting her.

Shaking his head at the strange girl he allowed her to lead him towards her old village.

oooo

It had been almost an hour of none stop walking when the two discovered their lack of water. The two had saved a fair bit the night before for a morning drink only to find out that the morning sun had soaked up all the water. They hadn't expected it to disappear, Shun was far too used to this not happening to be able to keep an intelligent face and had stared at the bare cup dumbfounded. Alice, however, was only bewildered for a moment before regaining her composure.

"I should have known this would happen" she mumbled to herself as she shook her head. Shun turned to look at her.

"Why should you?" He asked confused. He hadn't expected it, why should she.

"You've had a pretty simple life growing up haven't you? I'm guessing that you've never had to collect water for your village"

"No, I haven't we have someone specifically assigned to do that job" he lied as he tried to think how people worked in the past. She looked at him curious.

"Really? Well what was your job?" She asked him, he tried to avoid her eyes as he thought of a suitable lie. He bit his lip and smiled once he figured out what he could be.

"I was a hunter, me and some of my friends would leave the village to hunt for any kind of meat." He silently celebrated himself for thinking that up so quickly.

"Really? They actually had meat where you came from? Back at my village we were lucky if we could find a scorpion to eat. I'm jealous Shun, I wish I could have been there." The amber eyed teen just stared at the girl by his side. Was she being serious, a scorpion? He was not convinced this was a desert in his time.

"The food may have been good but I wouldn't be jealous if I were you. It's really crowded there, and not everyone there is nice. A lot of people get murdered there" that was a mild lie from the teen, not a lot of people in his times standard but he guessed people didn't get killed a lot back then, seeing as villages depended on each other to survive.

"Really? How many? I've never seen anyone being murdered, have you?" She sounded strangely fascinated by the possibility of the boy seeing people die.

"No, it usually happens at night and it mainly happens to outsiders" he answered, not sounding anywhere as confident as he had been trying to sound before. He had mildly lied to her once more, but only to ensure she wouldn't want to go to his 'village'. There wasn't a village to go to, should the worst happen and they do go to the 'village' he'd have to do a lot of lying and have to explain that the village vanished.

That would be believable right? People believed in magic back then, didn't they?

"Oh, well, that's a shame. I was hoping to go to your village." She pouted softly before her smile reappeared "oh well, that doesn't matter. Come on, let's find something else to talk about" Alice changed the subject, at least she tried. But Shun wasn't the greatest conversationalist.

Staring at him, she tried to think of something to talk about, but the boy was an enigma and one who didn't seem to give an iota about talking.

"Well, uh, tell me about your parents" she tried hoping to bright a light conversation to the silent pair.

"My dad ran out on my mum and she died last year" he answered solemnly.

"Oh" not quite the light conversation she was hoping for.

"You don't have to be like that, I've never met my dad and don't care for him and I've grieved for my mum" his voice was cold but Alice could feel the grief radiating off him and the most minute waver of his voice. She had always been very perceptive and could detect these little changes. It was thanks to that that she could still sense his pain and pulled him into her arms

"It's alright Shun, you don't have to be like that, I know you miss your mum" smiling softly at the first person who had given him any sympathy over his mother Shun hugged her back.

"Thanks." He mumbled, trying not to open his mouth too much should he end up with hair in his mouth.

"It's alright, do you want to talk about her?" He shook his head

"No, I don't want to bring up any memories of her." With a small sound Alice answered.

"Ok, I understand. But know, I'm here to listen any time you want" she added the next part just in case her sound wasn't very clear.

"Thank you"

"That's alright, anyway we're nearly at my old village. Can you last another hour without any water?" She asked him staring into the empty cup that stared back up at her with almost a pathetic appearance.

"Yes, I'm used to lasting a long time without any water. It'll be no problem" he assured though it was a mild lie, he was used to surviving a long time without water but not in these conditions. Out here now, it'd be a miracle if he made it to her village.

"That's good, you'll have to help me then, I'm feeling a little weak." He wanted to slap himself at her words. He had only answered the way he did due to the fact that he thought she'd be fine and it would be weird if he was parched. Apparently there were more similarities in the past and future regarding people than he had thought.

Believing he was fine Alice leaned against him softly to lessen the weight on her aching legs.

"We'll be there soon Shun. I'll get off you in a minute I just want to rest a little." She told him, as she closed her eyes. Not saying anything to the girl he allowed her to stay leaned against him. It couldn't hurt for a little while, could it?

"Alice, do you know what the time is?" He asked as he moved her head a little to make it rest comfier on his shoulder

"Uh, about one in the afternoon. Why?" She asked, judging the time by the position of the sun

"No reason, just wondering." He answered, but that wasn't true, if fact he was trying to pick something up. Just something to show his friends when he went back home. He was trying to read the sun as she did. But without telling her that was what he was doing.

"Why did you ask Shun? Can't you read the sky? How do you tell the time if you can read the sun?"

"I can, I was just making sure" he lied quickly, breathing a silent sigh of relief when she accepted it.

"Alright"

They both stopped talking after that, keeping quiet as they walked so he could give her more time to find their way to her village. And hopefully some water.

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	10. Chapter 10

The two were on the verge of giving up, lying on the ground and letting the birds that had started to swarm overhead peck at their bones. Shun was beginning to doubt that Alice did know the way back to her village. But, thankfully, Alice spotted a dot in the far distance. A dot that was rapidly growing. A smile grew on her face as she started to pick up the pace. She grabbed at his hand and started to pull him.

"Alice, what're you doing?" He asked as he was being dragged, his mind too dehydrated to think properly and to stop her.

"I can see it. I can see my village" she told him her excitement clear in her voice with a grateful sigh he allowed her to pull him.

"Great, let's hurry and get there. I'm dying of thirst."

"I thought you were fine?" She asked mildly confused.

"I was, but the sun seems to have gotten hotter. I need a drink badly" he excused, hoping that made sense. It seemed to as she didn't question him anymore. Instead of questioning him she just pulled him faster, she wanted to go back to her village. It may have been a place full of chauvinistic pigs, but still it had her parents there. And more importantly food and water.

"Come on Shun, we're nearly there, pick up the pace" she pestered as she pulled him faster, almost so fast that he'd fall. He stared at her through his hair, she was strange. Always changing her personality. He wasn't sure if it was intentional or not but she was disinterested in her home one minute and now she was running there.

Placing a hand over his eyes he winced at the slightly burnt skin he pressed, he strained his eyes and tried to see the village. He could just make it out but the heat waves were obscuring his vision. He could see houses that looked bigger than the huts from the village he awoke in and they seemed to be made of something different too.

He did bear in mind that he could hardly see the village. He wanted to curse his vision, why was it back home his eye sight was considered better than average but here he seemed to be lapse? He almost thought that back here his eyesight would be considered bad. Squinting against the intense heat of the sun and the waves of heat radiating from the ground obscuring his view he tried to see people, to see if he could redeem himself, in his mind, in the quality of his eyes.

"What's wrong Shun?" Alice asked though he barely registered her words. "Shun? What's wrong?" She asked him again as she placed her hand on his arm and squeezed it to gain his attention. This time it worked and his eyes moved over to her.

"Yes?" He asked blinking his eyes quickly to remove the irritation of having them open for so long.

"What's wrong?" She repeated for the third time, but irritation didn't even touch her voice. She was a very patient girl.

"Nothing Alice, it's not important, I promise nothing is wrong that would require help" he assured her trying to end the conversation. Unfortunately, thanks to his tendency to stay out of conversations with his friend this didn't work.

"But what was wrong?" She persisted. Sighing he rolled his eyes

"Nothing, I was just trying to see if my eyes could be better. In my village they're better than average but compared to you I might as well be blind" she stared at him more than a little confused.

"Shun, I've always had good eyes. It stems from me helping my grandfather. I always had to find things he lost out on his little farm, it made me notice things better than everyone else. Don't feel bad" he smiled at Alice for that, her words did save his self-esteem a little. He didn't feel pathetic to the past anymore.

"Thanks Alice. At least I know I'm not as blind as I first thought. I was beginning to think my eyes had been badly damaged from all the stuff back home"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, there're some things back home that aren't exactly good for your eyes, and I'm around them a lot." He excused as he bit the inside of his lip. It didn't feel good to lie, especially as he was lying to a woman who was helping him. Thankfully though the answer seemed to satisfy her and she didn't question him anymore. Hiding the look of suspicion in her eyes at the odd answer she grinned as they grew ever nearer the village.

Shun had been right, it was made of something different from back at the village he awoke in, the dirt and what looked like straw mixture were a fairer shade and the houses resembled more houses than huts. Shun smiled across at the nearing village able to see the people far clearer than before. They wore strange robes, in fact, Alice seemed the only one wearing semi-normal clothes. He must have looked strange in his attire.

"Shun, I suggest that as we're staying here for a while to collect food and water we should also gather some clothes. I've been wearing these for the past week, and the dust and dirt of the land has really damaged them. I think they've lost a lot of colour." He nodded his head at her, understanding what she was saying, it wouldn't do to go back home wearing clothes that will be covered in dirt.

He had no idea how much would change back home but he knew one thing, he didn't want his friends seeing him in clothes that colour had changed to a dusty brown.

"I understand. I don't want to go back home looking a state and worry my friends."

"Then it's agreed" she stated as they finally reached the village. Heads turned at the sight of the bright ginger haired girl. Faces immediately grew smiles as they all but ran over and tackled the poor unsuspecting girl. Her eyes widened at the sight of people running to her and as soon as half a dozen arms wrapped around her she was struggling to breathe.

"Alice!" They all shouted, mixed with different words from everyone, but they all blended together so much that all it sounded like was a noise. Shun could pick out a few words. 'We've missed you' was a common one he could hear, but there also seemed to be a lot of 'I knew you'd come back'. He watched as she struggled to get enough space to breathe and contemplated helping her, but they all seemed to be so happy seeing her that he stopped himself.

It must have taken him five minutes of hugging and shouted words to finally lose the rest of his patience. Reaching through the mass of people he pulled the gasping girl out. Placing her hands on his upper arms and gulped down air patting his arms slightly in a way to thank him without actually talking. He grinned at her as she looked up at him stunned.

"Thanks" she breathed

"No problem, you looked like you were being crushed."

"I was, Shun, these are my friends from the village. Guys this is Shun" she introduced motioning to the tall teen who was quite a bit taller than the rest of the villagers. They all looked up at him, some, who were clearly older than him, slightly taken aback.

He'd heard that people were shorter in the past but hadn't thought that were true. He'd not been in close proximity to the people in the last village so it was hard to tell from them. But they'd looked normal height, and Alice certainly wasn't short. Apparently she was an exception.

"Hi" he greeted, awkwardly raising one hand in a failed wave.

"He's strange"

"Definitely not from around here"

"Maybe he's one of them?"

They all mumbled to the other making him stare at them confused before shifting his gaze to Alice who smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry, they're a little paranoid about people" she explained, being deliberately vague. Not questioning it he simply nodded his head.

"Alright, I suppose I can understand." Alice took his hand and led him through the border of the village.

"Come on guys, me and Shun won't be here long, we need to get everything before we have to leave." She explained to them as they followed in step with each other.

"But Alice" they all started to whine before being cut off by the raise of a hand. With a clear signal to be quiet they followed behind. Creeping Shun out slightly by how she seemed to be able to control these apparently sexist people he followed silently behind. Looking at all the different people. They looked fairly young, by his standards, but here he guessed they probably thought their lives were almost over.

They did have faint wrinkles, like everyone their age did, but they looked nowhere near as old as the elder in the last village. Keeping his thoughts to himself, though, Shun merely watched as Alice navigated the people surrounding her again.

"This place is going to be weird isn't it?"

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	11. Chapter 11

His earlier opinion of the village seemed to be right, as soon as they stepped through Alice had guided him around. Pointing out where everything was. She'd even gone to the elder and brought him out to meet Shun.

"Well, young lad, what did you say your village was called?" He asked, a stick in his hands, though it looked like he didn't need it and it was more for show than for support.

"I didn't" he answered simply, staring down at the older man.

"Oh didn't you? My, I must be getting forgetful in my old age." Shun had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at that, his grandfather was old, this man was classified more as middle-aged.

"Perhaps" he answered instead. There was no reason for him to start a fight with someone Alice knew.

"Yes, perhaps, now come on Shun, Alice you can take whatever you want from this village. If it is a matter of returning to family I will allow for you to take what you wish for now and you can pay us back later Alice." The elder told them as he walked down the wooden steps that led down from his raised house.

"Why do we get it for now Sir?" Shun asked mildly curious

"Because I know what it's like to be separated from your family and I don't want that to happen to someone so young." The man answered, inadvertently revealing too much to his villagers who were stood to one side of him as he led the two away.

"Where are we going Elder?" Alice asked as she quickened her pace slightly to walk beside Shun. The elder was walking quite fast to cause Shun to believe all the more that the stick was for show and nothing more.

"To the market of course" he answered, as though it were obvious. Which it was to him. But to Shun it wasn't, he'd never been to a market.

The village in which Alice lived was far bigger than the one he awoke in. And not just size, the population was far bigger than the last village not to mention the houses were far fancier. While the last village looked basic this one had its houses raised on small stilts. Only a foot or two high. With small wooden planks that lead up to the door-less door.

"What's wrong Shun?" Alice's voice snapped him from his thoughts and he turned to look at her smiling face.

"Nothing, I was just thinking that this place is a lot fancier than the last village I was in." He admitted as he stared at the people staring at him in equal wonder. He must a have looked a sight to them. His features were always quite striking to people back home. His hair was dark black almost to the point where it blended into the midnight sky, and his amber eyes had left the realm of brown and were entering pure amber orbs.

"I'm not surprised, there're a few poisonous animals around here. We stay off the ground to avoid them. It's always given this place a slightly exotic look." He nodded his head at that.

"That does make sense. Back in my village the worst we have to worry about are big spiders." Shun laughed softly to himself, he could remember very clearly Julie screaming from a spider at Marucho's house.

"Big spiders are very dangerous Shun, you shouldn't laugh about them." Alice chastised making Shun smirk. Here they may be dangerous but back home they were just a nuisance. Still, he didn't argue with the girl and nodded his head softly at her.

"Alright. Here maybe, but back at my village it's the size that worry people not whether they're poisonous." He explained, trying to sound as convincing as he could. He didn't have the faintest clue what animals back here were like but considering the lack of vaccinations back here he guessed a lot more things were poisonous to them.

"Well, your village is a wonder Shun. How people can live as long as they do there and not be worried by poisonous things is beyond me. I would love to live there maybe my life could be lived less stressful" he pulled a smile onto his face, hoping it didn't look as fake as it was, and nodded his head. Mumbling what sounded half like a 'yes' and half a 'no'. Thankfully she didn't question the teen no more and they walked in silence behind the elder.

oooo

Of course the silence didn't last too long as the chocolate eyed girl didn't seem to be able to keep her mouth closed for more than twenty minutes.

"So, elder, sorry to rush you but do you think we could stop for a drink?" She asked as the old man was chattering away to someone from the village.

"A drink? Or course, why didn't you just ask for one?" The elder replied as he waved bye to the young child.

"We've been trying to for the past twenty minutes." Shun muttered, somewhat bitterly, but who could blame him? He was on the verge of unconsciousness and this old man was chatting with anything and everything.

"Come this way" he instructed as he turned and started down a path they had just passed. Staring after the elder Shun sighed while Alice laughed softly. Rolling his eyes he made a silent promise to himself.

'If I don't get out of here soon I'm dragging Alice and leaving. That man is too annoying.'

"Shun, come on, you're going to go the wrong way" shaking his head he turned to face the voice, Alice was stood at the entrance of a new path her eyes staring at him questioningly.

"What? Oh, alright" he mumbled, his mind feeling jumbled. Was the heat affecting him so badly? Somehow Shun doubted that, he'd been out in intense heat before and he'd never been this out of it before. Still, he'd never been in the past before. Who knew how strong the sun was before time took its toll. Nodding his head subtly at his own thoughts Shun followed after Alice. Confident that that was all it was.

oooo

The two were led to a well in the centre of the village. It was surrounded by multiple women who were scooping the water up into buckets. One of the women glanced up and caught the eye of the elder. She straightened herself before whispering to the women around her. And they parted like the red sea. Half on one side half on the other, all of them staring at the trio with inquisitive eyes.

"Ladies, do you mind collecting some drink for Alice and our guest?" The elder asked, and it was clear from his tone that he was forcing politeness. Not to mention the looks on the women's face as they moved to fulfil his order were holding hidden fear. He was definitely forcing himself to be kind for the sake of company.

"What's he usually like?" Shun asked as the elder stepped forwards, closer to the women who quickened their pace as he neared.

"What're you talking about? He's always like this" Alice answered as she glared at the back of the man's head. Clearly not being truthful in the slightest.

"Alice, you're a terrible liar" he told her pointedly, not only was her lie clear as day but her body language was about as subtle as an earthquake.

"Fine" she sighed, letting her glare lessen for a moment. "As I've said before. This place thinks it knows a woman's place. Chauvinistic pig. I hate him" she ground out the last part of her sentence, anger evident on her face. "I heard from my parents that it didn't used to be like this. That things were more like they are at your village. Equality, but that seems like a stupid dream now."

Shun stared at her in shock, he'd never been around anyone chauvinistic before. He'd always presumed that that was something that died out long ago. And it was, but now was before that had happened.

"I'm sorry to hear that, it's a little strange for me here. I've never seen a woman act like that around a man. It's quite sickening. Almost like they're scared of him." Despite what he wanted Shun couldn't keep out the image of his mother as one of those women out of his head. The thought of his mother catering to someone when she was ill was sickening.

"They are, if they don't do as he says he'll hit them. I do agree Shun, it is sickening." Forcing himself to keep a straight face Shun turned his face from the man. This world was horrible. He could hardly wait to be sent home.

"Alice, never come back here. Promise me." He told her, his voice low almost harbouring hate.

"I promise. The only reason I came back here in the first place is because of you. Otherwise I'd never want to step foot in this disgusting village." Smiling at her answer he nodded his head softly, keeping one eye on the elder.

He'd managed to get a bucket of water. How he expected the two to carry that across the desert was beyond the teen but he kept quiet, watching as he sent a woman over with the bucket. Handing it over to Alice. Water sloshed out of the wooden pail as she carried it. The thing obviously too heavy for her.

"Here Alice"

As she went to take the bucket from the girl Shun grabbed it.

"I'll take that, thanks" he insisted as he picked the bucket up with ease, the girl looking at him confused. Obviously she'd never seen a boy like him before.

"Thank you, it does look quite heavy." She noted smiling up at the black haired teen.

"A little, but I'm used to carrying heavy things, it was part of my jobs back in my village" he almost felt sick by how easy he was lying to her. During the beginning he struggled to form lies, now, it was becoming a second nature to lie to her. Pushing the worries to the back of his head he watched as a look of confusion crossed her face. Obviously she wasn't used to someone acting like a gentleman.

"Oh, alright, if you're sure" she answered, her voice holding bewilderment

"Thanks Shun, it does look quite heavy" Alice noted, smiling up at the taller teen. She herself was mildly shocked but it pleased her to know that she didn't have to carry it.

"Yeah, anyway. What else do we have to do here before we can keep moving? I do want to get back home"

"I think all we have to do is get some clothes and keep going. I don't think we have much food during this time, I really don't want to take food from them when they haven't got much" nodding in agreement Shun watched as the elder made it over, staring at the teen curious.

"Tell me child, why are you carrying that? Why not leave it to Alice?" He asked staring at Alice for a moment before shifting full attention to Shun.

"It's quite simple, it'd be far too heavy for her. I, however, am used to carrying things. It's part of my job back home, it wouldn't feel right to allow someone else to do it." He excused, already feeling his dislike for the man grow.

"Oh, well, alright then. I suppose if it's your normal job it would be strange not to do it yourself." The elder nodded his head in understanding. "Now, come on where shall we go next?"

"Well, Shun and I need some new clothing" Alice answered, smiling though it was strained

"Alright, I'll take you to the small market we have. I'm sure someone will be awake. A small shop has to open" he didn't stop once he made it over to them. Instead walking between the two and leading them back the way they came. With a quick glance to one another they followed behind him.

Neither looking as happy as the old man did.

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